After War Assignment
by Katerina Shinigami
Summary: An ongoing series of short stories following a particular timeline of 'After War'. Main pairings: 1x2, others yet to be determined.


Title: After War Assignment : Death of System  
Author: Shi-chan  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: 1x2, 3+2(cover)  
Summary: An undercover operation. An 'incident'. Peace prevails, but their lives will never be the same.  
Note: This is my first Gundam Wing fic in ages. The summary is overly dramatic, but I just had to do it... Thanks goes out to Ellie for all the help with fleshing it out, to Niko for her vital input of geeky things, and to Gloria for beta-reading. Please read and review.

--- separates past and present  
- separates time jumps in past time  
"blah" is speech  
'blah' is thought / sign

After War Assignment : Death of System  
by Shi-chan

Trowa Barton watched in amusement as his friends conversed, their hands waving about in the air almost frantically. A quick flit, a wave, fingers moving fast with exaggerated motion. Silence filled the air save for the occasional rustle of fabric or brief chuckle.

It would never cease the amaze him, the resilience of his partner. No matter what life threw at the braided man, Duo Maxwell just seemed to bounce back, all the stronger for it.

It had been some nine months since what Trowa Barton was mentally terming 'the incident'; an unfortunate accident during an 'undercover assignment of indeterminate length requiring the skill and experience no other Preventers' team possessed', or so Commander Une claimed during the briefing. Nine months since the accident that insured that the pair, once Preventers' best undercover, stealth, and infiltration team, would either have to be broken up or pulled from field duty indefinitely...

---

Command DOS (Death of System), or c:/DOS as they called themselves, had been under investigation by the Preventers Organization for close to six months before an anonymous tip off had lead to the location of the syndicate's central base of operations.

Now it was all a matter of timing. And timing was everything at this juncture...

Every month, c:/DOS sent out lieutenants to recruit for new members, handing out copies of their leaflet (the unassumingly named c:/PRINT). Their 'mission' was to seek out potential hackers with 'street cred and ability to match'.

The agents' background stories had to be tantalizing, yet just flawed enough to be realistic. Their street credit could be faked, but their abilities could not.

In Commander Une's eyes, there were no choices.

"Barton, Maxwell, I need to see the both of you in my office, 0930." The order was given in passing, the former Oz officer's eyes flashing only in indication that she was indeed speaking to the two agents who had just stepped into their own office before she disappeared down the hall, heals clicking on the cheaply tiled floor.

"Any idea what that was about?"

Trowa Barton would never chance calling his partner dumb on any occasion, but a Duo Maxwell without his morning coffee was a bit slow to click, the synapses just didn't fire at full without their daily infusion of caffeine and sugar. "I do believe we have an assignment," he told the other.

"Mm," Duo mused, glancing at the display clock on their office wall which screamed the time in angry red numbers. "S'only seven, plenty of time for a pot."

"We've still got to finish filing that paperwork on the Sazanski case," his partner reminded him, though he too wouldn't mind a cup of 'wake up juice,' as Duo was fond of calling it.

"Fifteen minutes worth of work and over two hours to do it in, Tro," Duo chuckled, braid swinging over his shoulder as he shed his coat, draping it over the back of his chair.

-

"Agent Night. Agent Shade. Gentlemen, please, sit." Carefully and with great dignity defining her seriousness, the former Lady crossed her legs, manicured fingers opening the case file she had laid out before her. "This assignment will require serious dedication. I am not requiring either of you to take part, although your skills are unparalleled and necessary if we are to achieve a successful outcome."

Duo frowned, already not liking the sound of it. "What skills might those be, Commander?"

Une gave the younger man a motherly glance, brown eyes warm. She'd always had a soft spot for the braided pilot, even when she'd sentenced him to execution. Duo could charm the habit off a nun, if he so desired. "Maxwell, do you honestly need me to list your qualifications for you?"

"Just wondering what the assignment involved, ma'am."

"Deep cover. As of yet, indeterminate length," she nodded, handing the two agents copies of the case file. "You will be posing as hackers to be recruited by a rebel syndicate. In these folders are all the necessary information regarding the syndicate, Command DOS, as well as background stories and how to contact your 'recruiter'.

"You have a week to prepare for the assignment, gentlemen. I suggest you take that week to get your affairs in order as you both may be away for a very long time.

"Questions?" Both young men shook their heads. "Then you are dismissed."

-

"Lovers?" Duo squawked incredulously. "Really? This doesn't mean we have to fuck, does it? I mean, not that I don't love you, Tro--"

"Duo."

"Cause I do, and you are hot and all--"

"Duo."

"But this isn't the war and really--"

"MAXWELL!" It wasn't really a yell, since Trowa hadn't raised his voice, but rather a forcefully ground out sound as the taller man placed his hands on the desk with a slight thud. Green locked with deep violet-blue as he spoke, "I highly doubt we'll be required to 'fuck' for the assignment."

Duo nodded, swallowing his uneasiness. "That's good, cause I don't think I could ever do that, ya'know? Cheat on Heero even for an assignment."

"I doubt it would come to that," Trowa assured him. "And if it does... we'll find a way around it."

"Yeah," another nod and the braided agent went back to reading through the large folder, taking in their cover story and formulating his persona.

The former mercenary had to admit, Une had done a good job with the set up. The characters they were to be playing were close enough to themselves, personality wise, that they would have next to no trouble maintaining their cover. "So should I start calling you Mallory?"

"Sure, Quinn, but only if you'll call me 'Mal'," Duo grunted. "It means 'bad', in Latin."

If Trowa had been one to guffaw, he would have at that. "Only you, Duo, only you."

-

Preparatory work meant they were only needed in the office a scant number of hours during the following week. Instead, the pair spent a good deal of time sequestered, developing their personas. Thursday was their busiest day, shuffled around as they were between DUPe, the Department of Undercover Personas, and Une's office.

Trowa's own cover was easy enough, simple and not nearly as time consuming as his partner's. Which is why he found himself in Une's office before his partner, sitting across the desk from the Commander herself as he nursed a cold cola to level out his blood sugar.

"Still smarts, Barton?" Une asked with an amused smile, eying the line of hoops that now ran up the agent's ear. "Tea tree oil, sea salt water, and A&D ointment. It will keep them from developing keloids and from getting infected."

"Duly noted," the former Gundam pilot nodded, taking another sip of soda, green eyes every so often glancing at his now black hair. It reminded him of some emo-rock singer from back pre-colony... Davey something or other. He resisted the urge to scratch at his neck, the cellophane there making the skin sweaty.

"I expect you to take good care of my son on this assignment," Une said after a time, breaking the silence. She rarely brought up the fact that she was, by law, the young agent's 'mother', having adopted gregarious once-street rat shortly after the last war.

"You can count on me," Trowa assured her.

It had been to the amusement of all the former pilots, Duo included, that Une had insisted upon being the one to adopt and vouch for the boy from L2 that the, then underage, ex-pilot could join the Preventers with his partners.

"I'm glad for that, then. Agent Maxwell," the Commander nodded as the object of conversation stepped into her office.

To say Trowa was shocked would have been an understatement. If his own look was dark and moody, Duo's was bright and fae. His long hair was only partially bound, threaded with blond-nearing-white streaks, bits left loose about his face. Braids of various size, bejeweled with beads, danced within the tresses, the rest pulled back in only a half braid leaving the length to reach past mid thigh. A silver bar had been pierced through his bottom lip, running vertical, its balls settling atop and just below the pillow of skin, the corner sporting a small hoop similar to the ones in Trowa's ears. His nose alight with a tiny crystal embedded stud.

The former Heavyarms pilot almost laughed as it looked like the girls downstairs had had even more fun with Duo than they had himself. His ears were pink with flush, silver hoops and bars scattered tastefully, a rook, a tragus, industrial, lobes, even an anti-tragus.

The whole of it made Trowa feel his disguise paled in comparison, but then the Shade did tend to fade into the veil of the Night. Duo was the distraction, the decoy, while Trowa worked behind the scenes to garner information.

"Girls get happy on you, Maxwell?" Une asked, chuckling to herself.

Duo flushed mildly. "They were excited to be able to, how did Kimmy put it? 'Truly have free reign to create a look' for me this time."

"Indeed. I see you actually let Ally near you this time, removable ink on the both of you, correct?" Both agents nodded. "Good, we don't want to render you useless to future assignments with the personas for this one."

Duo smirked, eying the tribal crawling down the line of the tall man's neck. "Nice tat, Tro. Very goth," the brunet grinned.

"I'm certain you both have been instructed in what is requisite to your disguise. Do whatever you feel is necessary to prepare yourselves for this assignment and your roles," her tone brokered no argument. "You have three days, gentlemen. Go home, get some sleep, and say your good-byes to your loved ones. I will see you here at 0700 sharp Monday morning. Dismissed."

-

"Make sure," kiss, "to watch your back," another, "and don't," again, "do anything rash."

Trowa had to smile as he watched the lovers saying their good-byes. It was sweet, really. Nearly two years as a couple and still so very in love. The former Heavyarms pilot envied them that.

"Dream of me," the brunet whispered, fingers threaded through the Japanese man's thick hair.

"We have to go..." Trowa told his partner softly, placing a gentle hand on the shorter man's thin shoulders. Even with years of training and working out, Duo had stayed slim, short. Not as short as he had been when they were teens, but, whether it was from malnurishment growing up on the streets or just genetic disposition, he was shorter than average.

The brunet nodded, stepping back and casting his lover, his real lover, a regretful glance.

"Trowa..." The former Wing pilot said, not looking away from Duo as he spoke. "Take care of him. Keep him out of trouble."

The tall agent almost laughed at the scathing look Duo cast upon his lover, "You can count on me."

-

"They want me to join R&D," 'Mallory' was telling him 'excitedly', his fire-wild hair swaying about as he almost danced along the path that led to their small room.

It was awkward living in a cave, but at least they had some privacy and didn't have to bunk in one of the larger caverns.

A good set up, Trowa had to admit, for few would ever think to look for their base of operations to be within the natural cave system beneath an old warehouse. Of course the warehouse itself was part of the operation, a front which allowed them to purchase large amounts of ore under the guise of milling steel for the Reconstruction.

'Quinn' gave his 'lover' a smile, small and sweet, one which was reserved only for him. "Does this mean you'll be keeping secrets from me, Mal?" he asked teasingly, grabbing the slighter man's thin wrist and twirling the bundle of energy into his arms.

Their ruse had to be perfect, at least, in public.

"Only what I have to, love," Duo smiled. It was different than the smiles he gave Heero. It contained a similar tenderness, but was even more sugary, practiced to be so agonizingly gooey that it reminded Trowa of a girl's manga. "You know I'd never hide anything of great import from you, Quinn."

It was all of import. Anything Duo might have to do or might see in those labs; vital, and he'd tell Trowa every detail. "I know, baby," 'Quinn' lent down to press a kiss to the corner of his 'lover's' lips. Sweet, sugary, gentle and loving, the perfect ruse.

The real information would be exchanged in their bunk, curled up beneath the sheets, a short-range electrical disruptor between them to generate a bubble in which they could speak freely, just in case.

In this bubble Trowa would share his findings about the backers and Duo his discoveries about the weapons being created within this underground facility. It was almost enough... they were close.

-

"Warning, emergency in Quadrant 6. Warning, emergency in Quadrant 6. Warning--"

The bright voice of their automated warning system was drown out by the bustle as necessary personnel hurried toward the site of the emergency: R&D.

-

"How's the weather?" Une's voice came over the line, direct contact, scrambled and coded. One might think the dark haired man were merely out for a walk in the woods.

"The Night is a little cloudy, but it doesn't look like rain. Although the wind was so bad, couldn't hear a thing," He could practically hear her purse her lips as he went on. "There is a storm brewing to the north, maybe headed our way."

"Sounds yucky." He tried not to laugh, but the mere idea of the once-Lady uttering such a word nearly had him in silent stitches. "How's work?"

"Good, good. I was thinking of donating some of my paycheck to charity, you know, to help the Reconstruction. Those pilots destroyed so much, left so many homeless."

Trowa was sure things were clicking. After all, Une was a bright woman. "They did," she agreed. "Maybe I can come visit you soon?"

"That would be lovely," he assured her. "Maybe in a couple weeks?"

"Sounds good. Give Mallory my love and tell him not to work too hard."

"Will do. Love you, Mother."

She hesitated only briefly, indicating that she understood the gravity of the situation, before replying. "Love you too, Quinn." And hung up.

-

"Preventers, get your hands in the air!"

The call echoed through the entire system, bouncing off stalactites and stalagmites, walls and ridges, probably startling any bats that were hiding in the lesser used caverns.

Commander Une strode through the kneeling masses. "Barton, Maxwell, on your feet," she frowned when only Barton complied immediately, Duo following only after the taller man physically urged him to. "Good work, agents," she said, smiling at them, before frowning again.

Trowa shook his head. "He can't hear you, Commander."

-

"There's nothing I can do about the damage," Sally Po said with a shake of her head. "We could give him a hearing aid, but that'd be more hassle than it's worth. If it managed to help him hear anything, it wouldn't be much."

"I understand," Une nodded, refusing to sigh in defeat. Maxwell was an excellent field agent, but in the field he would be no more.

"What are you going to do about Barton?" the doctor asked, feigning disinterest.

"Give him a choice. Though I think I already know his answer," the former Lady replied. "A shame to lose such good agents from the field."

-

A year since they had gone into deep cover. Nine months since the 'incident', eight months since they'd 'bagged the bad guys'... Eight months since the two lovers had finally been reunited...

While he and Duo had gone out in the field, Yuy had sat behind his desk, tracing and tailing every possible link to the charity that was feeding c:/DOS their funds. Once it was finished, the trail was even more complicated than anyone had imagined.

It turned out that not only was the faction being backed by someone of great power and resources, but by one of the more acclaimed 'pacifist' senators who appeared to be in staunch support of Relena Darilan-Peacecraft's ideas and goals.

Instead a wolf in sheep's clothing, sewing dissent through the senate, his moles seeking to debauch the Vice Foreign Minister's good name. It was a little known fact of just how close she was to the former Gundam pilots, for which the people still harbored some mixed resentment. That Miss Darilan-Peacecraft had been vital in passing the bill to assuage soldiers on either side of their crimes during the war, particularly those of Zechs Marquise and the Gundam pilots, could easily be seen as favouritism. If the wolf could simply twist that and infer she had a hand in supporting terrorist actions then it could imply she would now as well...

Due to the man's meddling, and despite his arrest, it would be a long battle to re-stabilize the senate and banish the lingering doubt of where the Vice Foreign Minister's loyalties lay.

It was a battle Trowa was certain Relena would win.

---

"Barton."

The former Gundam pilot was brought out of his musings abruptly, casting a glance to the side. "Yuy," he acknowledged, nodding at the other eyes turning back to the two conversationalists.

"He can still 'talk' your ear off, can't he?" Heero murmured with a small smile, eyes on his lover.

Trowa snorted. "I don't think there's a power in the universe than can shut Duo Maxwell up for long." iNot even the loss of his hearing,/i he mused with a shake of his head.

The tall agent eyed his partner, watching arms fly about, hands forming signs with lightning speed as he 'chatted'.

"It wasn't your fault," the blue eyed Preventer assured. "Shit happens. It wasn't like you could have prevented the accident, even if you'd been there."

"I know."

"Then stop feeling guilty. He doesn't blame you, neither do I or Une." If only it were that simple. He truly felt less guilty and more just sad that such a thing had to happen to his partner... Perhaps there was a little bit of guilt in there, but Yuy was right, even if he had been there, he couldn't have helped. Had he been in the room, he too would be deaf and no good would come of that.

"I'm going to ask him to marry me," the former Wing pilot said softly, opening up conversation once again. "Tonight, at the party..."

Trowa raised an eyebrow, a small smile of his own forming. "Going to try for a Christmas Eve wedding?" he asked, knowing a bit how Heero's mind worked. Replace the bad memories with happy, fulfilling ones. He was sure Duo'd appreciate that as well.

"If he'll have me," Heero nodded.

"He's head over. There's no way he'd say no."

"Hn."

"I should make him get back to work," the green eyed former pilot murmured. "Break's almost over and I'd rather not have Une breathing down our necks for being late. We've a new batch of recruits who just moved up to advanced hand-to-hand..."

Heero chuckled. "You'd think she'd give her son a little leeway, all things considered."

"That would be favouritism. Besides, Duo would have none of it. You know that," Barton chided, smiling as his partner chose that moment to turn from his conversation with Wufei and move in their direction, grinning at the both of them before locking eyes with his lover and signing his love as he mouthed the words before blowing a kiss which Heero 'caught' before signing back.

All of the former pilots, and many of the staff stationed full-time at HQ, had taken it unto themselves to learn Sign Language along with the hearing impaired agent, as much to have the benefit of being able to chat with the brunet as to benefit their work place.

'Lunch is over. Time to get back,' Duo signed, heaving a sigh although delight glittered in the violet-blue eyes.

'I know. I was just about to come get you,' Trowa signed back.

'Fresh meat,' the braided agent returned with an almost evil grin before rubbing his hands together for effect. He pressed a quick kiss to Heero's cheek, signing that he would see him that evening as he and Trowa headed off toward the training gym.

Nothing could hold Duo Maxwell back, save for death... and Trowa was beginning to think even -that- couldn't lord over the braided bundle of brilliance very easily.

End After War Assignment : Death of System

Footnote: I was asked by Gloria to explain (although in narrative) why Duo doesn't speak even though he has only lost his hearing recently and does know how to speak. It is more that being deaf you cannot hear the pitch or timbre of you own voice and it is rather embarrassing to blurt something out overly loud, overly soft, or intoned awkwardly. It's also disconcerting not to be able to hear your own voice. Much easier for someone like Duo just to learn a new way to communicate. He's a smart cookie. Likely Duo would continue to laugh and so on *coughs* but would more than likely refrain from vocalizing speech.

Also! There are approximately 3-4 references to to scifi television series... You get a cookie if you can point out any of them. XD

End footnote


End file.
